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The overriding ethical issue of a pandemic influenza â or any other health crisis involving a contagious disease â appears to be the dilemma of balancing public health vs. individual liberties.
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Depending on the ultimate decision of the Montana Supreme Court in the case of Baxter v. Montana, the complex issue of assisted suicide ultimately could mean that Montana becomes the third state in the United States to allow for physician-assisted suicide, after Oregon and more recently, Washington state.
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Banja: Here's a direction in the brain death debate that I think is most interesting: The Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Now, this act was passed in 1993 but in 1997 it was declared unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court. So, the act is no longer in effect.
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Large research institutions can improve IRB consistency, education, and networking by establishing an oversight board that will bring IRB chairs together at committee meetings.
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Are the medications safely out of reach of children? Can the family caregiver handle tasks required to care for the patient? Are family members following the wishes of the patient as indicated before he or she developed dementia? Is the patient safe in the home setting? Is the employee safe in the patient's home?
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State Medicaid directors may have taken a close look at implementing health information technology (HIT) for some time now, but in large part these investments have been held back due to budget problems. However, the economic stimulus package is jump-starting many of these shelved plans.
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Many optional services already have been cut, several of the planned provider rate reductions can't be enacted due to court injunctions, and eligibility can't be cut. In addition, the state faces a projected budget deficit of $8 billion over the next 16 months. This is the dire situation that California's Medi-Cal program is currently facing.
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Rhonda M. Medows, MD, FAAFP, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH), says that the stimulus funding "provides us with an unprecedented opportunity to strengthen our Medicaid and SCHIP program HIT efforts."
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Detecting and identifying Medicaid fraud and abuse always has been a concern and challenge for states, but with some states looking at reducing administrative burdens for providers, the door to increased fraud could be unintentionally opened.
